The Horse Shoe on the Shenandoah, Virginia

1820s

Joshua Shaw

Associated Names
Joshua Shaw

Artist, American, born England, 1776 - 1860

The image is a landscape drawing with a slightly elevated point of view. The horizon is placed near the middle of the image, marked by faint, rolling hills that stretch across the page. To the left, a large tree with sparse foliage rises above the scene, with its slender branches reaching toward the center. The brushstrokes are light and unhurried, employing simple lines to outline trees and land contours, suggesting a sketch or preparatory work. The drawing is monochromatic, utilizing brown ink on a beige paper background. Close to us, more loose lines depict the uneven ground and small clusters of trees that add depth. The overall simplicity of the strokes and the limited palette evokes a calm and timeless landscape.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    John Davis Hatch Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 17.9 × 23.8 cm (7 1/16 × 9 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1979.20.105


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

John Davis Hatch [1907-1996], by 1976; gift 1979 to the National Gallery of Art

Associated Names

Bibliography

1976

  • Hatch, John Davis. 100 American Drawings: Loan Exhibition from the Collection of John Davis Hatch. London: Heim Gallery, 1976, no. 19.

Inscriptions

upper right: The Horse Shoe on the / Shanandoa. Virginia

Watermarks

upper center: half watermark

Wikidata ID

Q64591550

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